Heat and high temperatures continue, despite scattered and often intense showers hitting Northern Italy. Also on Monday, 19 cities will have a red alert, the highest level of warning for possible health risks. And tropical nights, persistent heat, and extreme temperatures will have a heavy impact in terms of lives lost: by the end of summer, the additional deaths linked to heat waves could be between 5,000 and 8,000.
Read more Campi Flegrei, 813 family units displaced from their homes
Ask the Sun
In-depth questions generated by 24Ore AI
The questions are automatically suggested by 24Ore AI
based on the content viewed.
Red alert for 19 cities
2026 is one of the hottest summers ever recorded in the country, with temperatures in many areas already exceeding those of 2003. On Saturday, August 8, 26 out of 27 major urban centers monitored by the Ministry of Health registered the highest alert level.
On Sunday and Monday, the red alert is for 19 cities: Ancona, Bari, Bologna, Campobasso, Catania, Civitavecchia, Florence, Frosinone, Genoa, Latina, Messina, Naples, Palermo, Perugia, Pescara, Reggio Calabria, Rieti, Rome and Viterbo.
Read more Mayor of Milan, Vannacci launches Carmelo Burgio for National Future. Here is who he is
The impact on mortality
It is difficult to quantify the impact in terms of human lives at the moment. Only projections based on estimates comparing the current year with previous ones are possible. “If the current climate trend continues until after mid-August,” explains Fabrizio Pregliasco, director of the School of Specialization in Hygiene and Preventive Medicine at the State University of Milan, “we can hypothesize an excess mortality between 10 and 20% higher than last summer.” In absolute terms, according to Pregliasco, “this could translate into 1,500-3,000 additional deaths in Italy compared to summer 2025, when 4,597 victims were recorded according to an EU source. The overall toll of heat waves could thus reach 5,000-8,000 excess deaths.”
Workplace rules
High temperatures, in fact, increase the risk of cardiac and respiratory imbalances, with an increase in emergency room visits and hospitalizations, especially among the elderly and the sick. And with extreme heat, workplace rules also change: shorts and shorter skirts made of lightweight fabrics are allowed for employees of Arca Puglia, the Regional Agency for Housing and Living, but in compliance with the “principles of sobriety and decorum,” reads the letter sent to employees. Heat and drought also weigh on the environment.
